FRIENDLY: TOWN 1 SOUTHEND 1

Late goals at Playford Road as Town draw with Southend in behind closed doors friendly

A goal from Shane McLoughlin five minutes from time wasn’t enough to help Town to victory in their behind closed doors friendly with Southend this afternoon.

A strike from former Blue, Tyrone Barnett levelled things up with less than a minute to play at Playford Road against a Town side which included a number of first-team players, as well as Jerome Thomas, who has been training with the Club for the past week.

Thomas looked lively in the opening stages, although neither side threatened the opposition throughout the first 45 minutes as the Shrimpers fielded many of their regular starting line-up, including another former Town striker, Noel Hunt.

He was replaced at half-time, as was the entire Southend starting line-up, but it didn’t change the course of the match at the beginning of the half, with both sides again failing to create any noteworthy chances.

The first real opportunity of the game fell to Larsen Toure, but the Guinea international headed a Kevin Foley cross wide of the target despite finding a pocket of space on the edge of the six yard box.

Town did grab the initiative with what looked like the winner. Luke Varney broke away down the right hand side before sliding the ball across goal where substitute McLoughlin was waiting to find the net, despite heavy pressure from a defender.

It wasn’t to be though as Barnett ran clear of Blues' defence, before coolly slotting left-footed past Jonathan Henly to earn a draw for his side.